Elevator attachment



2 Sheets-Sheet 1.

(No Model.)

-D. H.'NIO KERSON. ELEVATOR ATTACHMENT.

Patented 13 0.3, 1889;

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u. PETERS, Mela-Lithographer, Washington D. a

2 Sheets-Sheet 2.

(No Model.)

D. H. NICKERSON. ELEVATOR ATTAGHMENT.

Patented-Dec; 3, 18 89.

N. PETERS. Fhum-Lilhcgmphar, Warhlngtpn. n.6-

" UNITED STATES.

PATENT OFFICE.

DAVID I-I. NICKERSON, or DETROIT, MICHIGAN.

ELEVATOR ATTACH M ENT.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 416,487, dated December 3, 1889.

Application filed July 10, 1889- Serial No. 317,090. (No model.)

To all whom it may concern.-

Be itknown that 1, DAVID H. NIoKERsoN, a citizen of the United States, residing at Detroit,in the county of Wayne and State of Michigan, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Elevator Attachments; and I do declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact description of the invention, such. as will enable others skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use the same, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, and to the letters and figures of reference marked thereon, which form a part of this specification.

This invention relates to an attachment for elevators in which a series of platforms are deposited and supported in the elevator-shaft so as to coincide with the floors in the building as the car travels up or down in said shaft; and the object of the invention is to provide the elevatorshaft with a series of traveling platforms operated by the car,whereby the hatchways of said shaft are closed, both above and below the car, whether the car be stopped at the top or bottom of the shaft or any of its intervening floors. This result is attained by the mechanism illustrated in the accompanying drawings, in Wl1lGll- Figure 1 is a view, partlyin section, of an elevator-shaft and the floors of the building on each side thereof, (said floors being broken away,) showing thecar at the bottom of the shaft and the wire platforms supported in said shaft above the car on a line with the floors of the building, showing also a series of platforms below the car. Fig. 2 is a view of same, showing the elevator-car at the top of the shaft and the platforms supported in said shaft below the car, the side of the shaft being broken away to show the engagement of the upper end of the U shaped rods,whereby the platforms below the car are raised and lowered. Fig. 3 is a front view of a portion of the elevator-shaft, showing the travelinggate suspended from weighted cords. Said gate is actuated by the elevator-car, for purposes hereinafter described. Fig. at is an enlarged detail of two of the platforms and their 1 supporting-rods, showing also the grooves in the side of the elevator-shaft in which said rods travel. Figs. 5 and 6 are details to be referred to.

As indicated in the drawings, the parts let- I tered A, B, O, and D represent the floors of the building; S, the elevator-shaft passing therethrough; E, the elevator-car located in said shaft; F, a wire gate, which slides up and down between the stops o and o in the frame of the elevator-shaft. (See Fig. 3.) H represents the basement-floor, and G a pit below said floor.

Located in the elevator-shaft above and below the car is a series of traveling platforms, (represented by the figures 1, 2, 3, and 4 above the car and 5, 6, and 7 below the car.) These platforms are carried and supported by the U-shaped rods a a a, which are in sets of two. Said rods lie in the grooves (Z in the sides of the elevator-shaft and are provided at their upper ends with the forked heads 0, which have engagement with the lugs 0 0 0" on the side of the elevator-car.

In Figs. 1 and 2 of the drawings the device is shown in operation in a four-story building, showing five floors, including the base Inent-floor H, A representing the first or ground floor, and B, C, and D the succeeding floors above it.

In Fig. 1 the car is shown at the bottom of the elevator-shaft on a line with the basementfloor H, the platforms 5, 6, and 7 being assembled in the pit G below the ear and the platforms 1, 2, 3, and 4 suspended in the'.ele vator-shaft on a line with the fioors A, B, O, and D, respectively. The plat-forms 5, 6, and 7 are secured to the horizontal portion of the U-shaped rods and the platforms 1, 2, 3, and 4 are secured to the independent cross-rods f, having at their ends the heads t, which travel in the grooves d in the sides of the ele vator-shaft, (see Fig. 4,) said grooves having undercut sides.

As the car travels upward in the elevatorshaft from the position shown in Fig. 1 the platform 1 will be encountered by the top of the car and carried upward thereon. As the bottom of the car is passing floor A the lug 0" on the side of the car will engage the under shoulder of the head 0 on the upper ends of the rods a,'raisingsaid rods and carrying upward the platform 5. The car continuing upward in the shaft to the position shown in Fig. 2, the platforms 2 and 3 will be encountered and carried upward thereon, bringingplatform up to a position on a line with floor B, and the lug 0' on the side of the car will engage the head 0 on the upper ends of the rods a, raising the platform (3 to a position on a line with the top of the gate F. A further ascension of the car, so as to bring the bottom of the car on a line with the upper floor 1.),will carry upward the platform 4 and raise platform 5 on a line with floor 0, platform 6 on a line with floor 3, and the lug 0 on the side of the car, engaging with the head a on the upper ends of the long rods 0., will raise platform 7 to a position on a line with the top of the gate F, which will be readily understood by referring to Fig. 2. As the car descends in the shaft the upper platform 4: is engaged by the stops .9 and arrested on a line with the floor I). The rod a on striking the bottom of the pit G is stopped, and the car, carrying the platforms thereon, continuing down, carries the rods f, on which the platform 3 is supported, into engagement with the forked heads 0 on the upper ends of the rods a, whereby the platform 3 is arrested and supported in the shaft on a line with the floor 0. (See Fig. 1.) The rods a. and a on reaching the bottom of the shaft will stop, and in like manner arrest and support the platforms 2 and 1 on a line with the floors B and A, respectively, as clearly shown in Fig. 1, in which the ear is shown on a line with the basement-floor II and the platforms 5, (5, and 7 assembled in the pit G below the ear.

The first stor 7 of a building is usually higher than the succeeding stories above it. The platforms below the car are arranged to correspond with the uniform stories above the first, which, when the car is above the first floor, as shown in Fig. 2, will leave an opening between the platform 6 and the first floor A. To fill this opening the gate F is employed, which slides up and down in the frame of the elevator-shaft between the stops n and r. Said gate is hung 011 the weighted cords '1', which pass over the pulleys u, (see Fig. 3,) and is actuated by the spring-arm 71, secured to the base of the car E. As the car rises in the shaft from the position shown in Fig. 1 the arm it engages the bottom of the gate F, carrying it up against the stops r, when the spring 8 will yield, allowing the outer end of the arm h to drop down, as shown by dotted linesin Fig. 5,when it will slip past the gate, leaving said gate in the position shown in Fig. 2 and by dotted lines in Fig. 3, the action of the spring 8 against the rounded head of the arm returning it to its normal position. As'

the car is lowered the arm 71/ will engage the top of the gate and earryit down against the stop 1*, when the spring 8 will yield, allowing the arm to raise and slip past the gate, the spring returning the arm to its normal position, as before described, the gate being be low the platform 1, as shown in Figs. 1 and 2. Thus, when the car is up the gate will close the opening between the platform and the floor A, (see Fig. 9,) and when the ear is down the gate will be below the platform 1, as shown in Fig. 1. The slip-joint e in the rod o is to overcome the difference between the height of the basement-story and the story above it, so that when the car is coming down the rod (1 will telescope sufliciently to allow the platform to reach the level of the floor C, as shown in Fig. 1.

In Fig. 4 (by dotted lines) is shown a covering over the wire platform of some fireproof material, which snugly fills the opening in the elevator-shaft, and, in case of fire, preventing a draft and the spreading of the fire to the several stories of the building through the elevator-shaft.

From the drawings and the foregoing description it will be seen that the hatchways of the elevator-shaft are closed above and below the elevator-car whether the car he at the top or bottom of the shaft or at some intervening floor, rendering the accident of falling down the elevator-shaft impossible when the car is in motion or stopped at any point in the shaft.

Having thus fully set forth my invention, what I claim as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is-

1. In combination with the car of an elevator having lugs on its sides, the series of traveling platforms located below the car and the series of U-shaped rods supporting said platforms, the upper ends of said rods having engagement with the lugs on the side of the car, substantially as specified.

2. In combination with the ear of an elevator having lugs or stops thereon, the series of traveling platforms below the car, the series of U-shaped rods supporting said platforms, the upper ends of said rods having engagement with the lugs of the ear, the series of traveling platforms above the car, said platforms adapted to be carried up by the car, and the arms f of said platforms engaging with the upper ends of the U-shaped rods in their downward movement, substantially as and for the purposes specified.

3. In combination with the car of an elevator having lugs thereon, a movable platform below said car, the set of U-shaped rods supporting said platform, the upper ends of said rods carrying the forked heads, a movable platform above said car, and the crossrods f of said platform adapted to engage with the forked heads, being suspended thereon, substantially as and for the purposes specified.

4. In combination with the car of an elevator having lugs thereon, a traveling platform below said car, the U-shaped rods actuating said platform, said rods provided with theslip-joint e and forked head 0, the platform above the car, and the rods f of said platform adapted to engage with the forked heads, substantially as specified.

5. In combination with the car of an elevator, the series of movable platforms located IIO above the car, .a like series of platforms 1oeated below the ear, the herein-described mechanism coupled to'the ear for operating said platforms, the sliding gate located in the path of the ear, and the spring-arm mounted on the car to operate the gate, as and for the purposes specified.

In testimony whereof I affix mysignature in presence of two Witnesses.

DAVID H. NICKERSON.

Witnesses:

R. B. WHEELER, E. S. WHEELER. 

